


Shipping Up To Boston

by daddyoshie



Category: Hockey RPF, Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: 2018-2019 NHL Season, Background nicky/ovi, Established Relationship, Forced Separation, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, Separations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-05-01 18:36:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19183438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daddyoshie/pseuds/daddyoshie
Summary: John pulled out his phone and spent a few moments scrolling. Then he froze, eyes wide. “Oh, fuck.”Kuzy’s chest tightened. He knew that whatever had happened, it couldn’t be good.Andre broke the silence. “What happened to Jojo?”John swallowed. “Mojo was taken to the hospital.”





	Shipping Up To Boston

**Author's Note:**

> I got this idea the night of Mojo’s injury, started it immediately, and it took three months to finish. But it’s finally here, I hope you enjoy my dumb fic. Disclaimer that I don’t really know how to write accents, so all characters are gonna have much better English grammar than they do irl
> 
> And yes, I named a fic after the Dropkick Murphys song
> 
> Thank you so much to AO3 user storiesinthedark for the beta

Kuzy burst through the door of Tom’s apartment.

“TOM YOU HAVE TO TEACH JOJO HOW TO FIGHT HE’S NOT MEAN ENOUGH TO BE A BRUIN!”

Apparently, Tom had been in the middle of some kind of Netflix and snack because his slipper-clad feet were propped up on his coffee table, he was holding a bowl of yogurt in his lap, and he was deep into an episode of Riverdale. Upon Kuzy’s unexpected entrance, he scrambled to pause the program and put down his yogurt, giving his clearly distraught teammate his full attention. “Woah woah, back up a second. Start over.”

Kuzy exhaled deeply and plopped down next to Tom on the couch. “You read Twitter? Jojo just got traded. To the fucking Bruins.”

“And?”

“He is  _ not  _ mean enough to be a Bruin. You know him, he wouldn’t hurt a fly. He  _ hates  _ fighting and being rude on the ice. I can’t think of anyone less Bruin-y.”

Tom placed a hand on Kuzy’s shoulder. “You’re worried about him.”

Kuzy nodded. “He’s already been hurt so many times. I’m really scared to think about what more injuries might do to him. Boston...It’s a rough environment. And…” his voice softened, “He’s even further away.”

Tom looked like he wanted to swaddle him in about eight warm blankets. “When was the last time you saw him?”

“Bye week.” Kuzy slumped back. “So not  _ that  _ long ago, but we don’t see the Bruins anymore this year, and I was looking forward to New Jersey coming to town and seeing him again. But now I don’t get to for a long time. And they’re just taking him even further away from me. What if something happens to him and I can’t get to him because he’s too far?”

Tom pulled him into a hug before the tears could well up too much. “Hey, nothing’s gonna happen to him, alright? Mojo’s a really smart guy. And like, really thick. You of all people should know that.”

Kuzy smirked. “You’re damn right he is.”

Tom groaned. “Ugh. That one’s my fault, I left that on a platter for you.” He pulled away. “I can call him up and give him some tips, but I think he’ll be fine without them. There are so many other guys on that team who can put up a fight, I don’t think he’ll ever need to.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“I know you miss him, man. But you gotta trust that he’ll be okay. Otherwise, you’ll worry yourself to death.”

“I can’t help it. I love him too much.”

Tom made gagging noises and tossed a pillow in Kuzy’s direction. “Just give him a call. I’m sure he’ll be glad to hear your voice.”

So he did. He thanked Tom, swiped some of his yogurt, and left. Once he returned home, he settled into his couch, held a phone to his ear, and wrapped his arm around his chest, waiting to hear Marcus’s sweet voice.

Marcus picked up the phone. “Hi, Kuz.”

Kuzy almost cried listening to him speak. “Hi, Jojo. How are you doing?”

“Better now that I’m talking to you.” Kuzy couldn’t help but smile like a fool. “So, I assume you heard about the trade.”

“Yeah. Are you on your way to Boston right now?”

“Yeah. I’m in a car on my way to the airport.”

Kuzy exhaled. “How are you feeling?” he asked quietly.

Marcus waited a second before replying. “Fine, I guess. You know, I never really felt like I fit in in Jersey.”

“I know.”

“Boston...wouldn’t have been my choice, but they’re playoff-bound, and I can’t say I’m not excited about that.”

“That’s good.” He bit his lip, trying to get through what he wanted to say next. “Boston...it’s really far.”

This time, it was Marcus who exhaled. “I know.”

“We don’t see you guys again this year.”

“I know.”

“I _h_ _ ad  _ really good plans for when you were gonna come see us in March, you know.”

“Does going to your bedroom really count as plans, Kuz?”

“Hey! I had  _ real  _ plans! We were gonna have a fancy dinner and then go see that view of the river you like so much,” Kuzy defended. “Also yes, yes it does.”

Marcus laughed, full and melodical, playing Kuzy’s heartstrings like an instrument. “I’m sorry about the plans, Kuz. I really wanted to see you. We’re just going to have to wait a little longer.”

Kuzy huffed. “This fucking sucks.”

“I know. It’s just the way it is.”

“Still sucks.”

“Yeah.” Kuzy heard some muffled voices on the other end of the line. “Hey, we’re about here, I’m gonna have to go.”

“Okay.”

“It was really good to hear from you, Kuz.”

“You too. And Jojo,” Kuzy added real quick. “Please...be careful. Boston is...well, you know what it’s like to play Boston.”

“I’ll be careful,” Marcus said.

“You promise?”

“Promise,” he responded. “Hey, Marchand can’t concuss me if we’re on the same team.”

“Don’t even joke about that, Jojo.”

“Okay, okay.” More muffled voices. “Alright, I really have to go now.”

“Okay. I love you, Jojo.”

“I love you too, Kuz.”

Kuzy took a deep breath as they both hung up. He didn’t like this situation, not one bit. But he was going to have to trust that everything would be okay.

* * *

It was Tuesday and incredibly cold in Philadelphia. The majority of the team had all made the decision to stay together and hang for the evening in the lounge of the hotel. It was around seven-thirty, and they were getting started on their first round of drinks. T.J. was already giggly from the alcohol, Ovi had convinced the manager to put on his playlist, and Tom and Andre were relaying the stories of their recent mishaps in adulting. Kuzy was about to launch into a story about how he’d seen Nicky slink off into a supply closet that he had just so happened to also see Ovi walk into, when John, scrolling through his phone, suddenly gasped and said, “Shit.”

Everyone within earshot whipped their heads over towards him. Andre asked the question on everyone’s mind. “What? What happened?”

John bit his lip. “Well, I was just scrolling through Twitter, and well, uh…” His eyes frantically looked everywhere except at Kuzy. “Mojo just got hit. Real hard.”

Kuzy’s stomach started churning, and he began to feel lightheaded. “What??”

John looked pained. “Yeah. I just saw this gif.” He showed the gif of the hit to the group. Kuzy winced.

The team seemed to share Kuzy’s concern. He watched as Andre began biting his nails, and Nicky steeled his jaw. He turned to see Ovi clench his hands into fists, T.J. cover his mouth with his hand, and Tom roll up his sleeves like he was about to storm out and beat somebody up. Then, they threw a flurry of questions at John.

“How is he?” Andre asked.

“Did he come back?” T.J. asked.

“Where’d he get injured?” Tom asked.

“Did the piece of shit even get a penalty?” Ovi asked.

“I really don’t know,” John answered. “It’s still early in the first. Real early. They’re not saying much right now. I don’t think he’ll come back, but there’s nothing to worry about until the game is over and they update for real.” Then John looked pointedly at Kuzy. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

Kuzy watched as the others settled back into their activities for the night, but he couldn’t shake his unease. His insides were wracked with worry about Marcus, the anxiety gnawing at his stomach. But he couldn’t do anything now except wait.

Two hours later, Kuzy had allowed himself to get sucked into listening to Ovi’s stories about bribing the police to get out of speeding tickets, and the worry had dissipated just a little bit. Kuzy had fooled himself into believing things were going to be okay. But that didn’t last long.

“Hey Carly, isn’t the Bruins game over now? Is there an update on Jojo?” Andre piped up.

“Uh, let me check.” John pulled out his phone and spent a few moments scrolling. Then he froze, eyes wide. “Oh, fuck.”

It was like someone had sucked all of the air out of the room. Kuzy’s chest tightened. He knew that whatever had happened, it couldn’t be good. 

Andre broke the silence. “What happened to Jojo?”

John looked around, again avoiding Kuzy’s gaze. Then he swallowed and said, “Mojo was taken to the hospital.”

The team gasped and Kuzy’s heart fell into the pit of his stomach. He heard Andre start muttering in Swedish, and he watched as Tom put his head in his hands, T.J. sat frozen with his eyes wide open, and Ovi squeezed his eyes shut, trying to will it away. He felt his entire body go into panic mode. His chest tightened, his throat constricted, and his skin bristled like there were bugs crawling all over him. He couldn’t sit still anymore, he had to get up and move his feet, otherwise he felt like he might explode. Words started escaping his mouth, and he directed them rapid-fire at John.

“The  _ hospital _ ? For what? How bad? Is he okay?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know.”

Kuzy could feel his breath start to shorten. “Fuck, this isn’t good. Fuck fuck fuck fuck.”

He felt a couple of hands on his shoulders, though he wasn’t quite sure who they belonged to. Then he heard Nicky’s voice.

“Kuzy, take a deep breath, okay?”

He tried, but failed. “No, I can’t. I can’t. FUCK.” He lashed out and grabbed John by the collar. “What fucking hospital is he in?”

John started to look a little panicked. “Dude, I don’t fucking know. They don’t exactly publicize that information.”

“Where is he?? What hospital??”

Nicky separated Kuzy from John, but it did nothing to quell his panic. He started scrambling around the room, searching for his phone, wallet, and jacket. “Does anyone know what hospital they would have taken him to??” he asked, frantically looking from face to face of his teammates.

“Dude, calm down,” Tom said. “Why do you need to know what exact hospital they took him to?”

“Because,” Kuzy said, “I’m going to Boston.”

If they weren’t already convinced he had gone off his rocker, they sure were now. “Woah woah woah. You wanna go to Boston?” Tom asked.

“I  _ need  _ to go to Boston!! Now!!!” he cried.

Tom raised his eyebrows. “Kuz, are you really gonna go to Boston? Right now?”

“Yeah I’ll take a train, I don’t fucking care.”

“But we have a game tomorrow.”

“Yeah, tomorrow  _ night _ .”

“What about morning skate?”

“I’ll be back by then.”

Ovi, bless his soul, tried to reason with him. “Kuzya, I know you’re worried, but Jojo’s been injured before. And he was just fine without you dropping everything.”

“He’s never had to go to the fucking  _ hospital _ before!!!!” Kuzy screamed back. “I need to go there and be with him!”

Ovi pursed his lips. No one had anything to say in response to him. 

Kuzy pressed his palms to his temples, hoping to push out the despair that was threatening to take over his brain. Desperate, he started pleading. “Do any of you have any Boston contacts? Anyone who could tell me what hospital? Anyone at all?”

Just when his feelings were threatening to overwhelm him and make him break down, T.J. timidly raised his hand. “I’m still good pals with David Backes.”

Kuzy whipped his head over to face T.J. “Can you call him? Now?” His voice broke. “Please?”

Kuzy could see T.J.’s heart break. “Of course I will.” He took out his phone and started dialing. “I really hope he picks up.” 

T.J. stood with his phone to his ear, and every second waiting was agony for Kuzy. The longer he stayed here, the longer it would take to get to Marcus. He wanted to be with him  _ right now _ , and the thought of him in pain and Kuzy not being there with him threatened to undo him.

Finally, the call went through. “Hey, David!” T.J. greeted cheerfully. “Long time no talk...yeah, it’s great to hear you, too...Listen, I know I’m calling at a weird time, but it’s an emergency...you know your new teammate, Mojo? Well, he’s a really good friend of mine, and I saw what happened tonight...well, one of my teammates here is  _ particularly _ close with him, and he’s just worried sick...I don’t know if he’s said anything...so he’s already told you about him and Kuzy? Perfect...listen, I’m going to ask you a  _ huge _ favor, and I promise I  _ will _ pay you back someday, I just need something really important...is there any possible way you could get the name of the hospital he’s at?...I know, I know it’s weird...it would mean so much to me, and to Kuz...really?...okay, got it. You are the fucking  _ best _ ! Anything you want, just name it. Thank you so so much, I’ll talk to you later.”

T.J. hung up, and Kuzy looked at him with huge, expectant eyes, waiting for an answer.

T.J. delivered. “Massachusetts General.”

Kuzy lunged forward to hug him. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” He took a couple of wobbly steps towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Nicky asked.

“To the train station,” Kuzy responded. “I’m getting on the next train to Boston.”

“Kuzya, you really gonna do that?” Ovi asked. 

“I can’t just leave him alone up there!” Kuzy shouted, tears threatening to prick at his eyes. “Who knows how hurt he might be? If something happened to him and I wasn’t there, I would never forgive myself.”

Nicky stood up and faced him. “Kuzy, are you absolutely sure about this?”

He steeled his resolve. “Yes. I’m going. And you can’t stop me.”

Nicky took a second to take him in. “No, I can’t.” A pause. “But I’m coming with you.”

John’s eyes widened. “For real, Nicky?” he asked. “You serious?”

Ovi jumped out of his seat and grabbed Nicky’s upper arms, spinning him around to face him. “Nicky, what are you doing?” he asked in a grave and slightly panicked tone.

“What I need to do,” Nicky answered simply.

“You can’t just go to Boston!” Ovi cried.

Nicky strapped him with a steely glare and then lowered his voice, so low that Kuzy was barely able to pick it up. “Do you really want him to go alone?”

For a moment they looked at each other in silence, but they hadn’t finished talking. With the way their eyes were locked, Kuzy could see an entire conversation flying back and forth between them in the span of a few seconds.

Then Ovi straightened his spine and spoke at his regular loud volume. “I’m the captain,  _ I’ll  _ go with him.”

Nicky shook his head. “No. It’s one thing if I disappear, it’s a whole different story if they can’t find  _ you _ . They’ll tear apart the entire east coast looking for you.” He gave him a soft smile. “Stay here. Man the fort until we get back.”

The soft look from Ovi’s eyes felt tangible even to an outsider. “Okay. But I want updates. And be safe.”

“I will. Don’t worry, I’ll do enough watching out for the both of us in Massachusetts.”

Kuzy didn’t really want to break the moment, but he had to ask the question burning on his mind. “But why?” he questioned softly. “Why do you wanna come with me?”

Nicky turned to face him again. “You are in no shape to go traveling by yourself,” he commented. “Look at you, you’re a wreck. You’re gonna get yourself lost in Boston and forget how to speak English, and that won’t do Jojo any good.” Then he cracked a grin. “Besides, I’ve known Jojo a lot longer than you, remember? He’s my family, too. Don’t think I’m not worried sick.”

Suddenly, the idea of Nicky being by his side felt a lot more comforting. “Okay.”

“But Nicky,” Andre worried, “What if you guys don’t get back in time?” 

“Then I guess Travis and Chandler are gonna have to play center tomorrow.” He threw a conspiratorial look at Kuzy. They were doing this. “They’ll be fine, they can handle it. Besides, if Kuzy doesn’t get to Boston right now, we’ll be down a center tomorrow anyway because he’ll explode.”

Kuzy laughed for the first time since hearing the news. “You’re probably right.”

“Come on. If we’re gonna do this, let’s go.”

* * *

The train ride to Boston was four or five (or was it six?) hours long, but Kuzy didn’t rest for a single second of it. His adrenaline ran high. Worry was overtaking him. It  _ killed _ him that he wasn’t with him right this second, and that he had to bide his time before getting there. His fingers fidgeted and his foot tapped nonstop, and the only reason he didn’t explode was Nicky sitting next to him. Nicky’s calm demeanor helped him keep it together. He even held his hand as they rolled into the final hours of the ride. Kuzy didn’t realize how much he needed that comfort.

Nicky took control once they arrived in Boston. He navigated them out of the train station, pulled up directions, and called an Uber to take them to the hospital. Which was good, because Kuzy was not thinking at all coherently. All he could think about was how close they were to Marcus, and how his desperation to see him ballooned with every step they took.

At a little past two-thirty in the morning, they finally made it to the hospital. The reception area was practically abandoned, just a few sleepy people slumped over chairs here and there. Kuzy, on the other hand, was wide awake. He had made it all this way, and now Marcus was just mere hallways away. Nothing would stop him now.

With purpose, Kuzy strode up to the front desk and set his hand rather forcefully on the counter.

“Can you tell me what room Marcus Johansson is in?” Kuzy asked, keeping his voice calm and steady. “I need to see him.”

“Are you a family member?” the nurse asked without looking at him.

“Well, not exactly, but —”

“I’m sorry, family only,” the nurse said in a monotone. “You’ll have to come back during visiting hours.”

Nicky, just behind him, sucked in a breath. “Kuz…”

But Kuzy would not be deterred. “I’m listed as a family member. Can you check, please?” he asked as confidently as he could.

The nurse sighed. “What’s your name?”

“Evgeny Kuznetsov.”

Kuzy’s hand started fidgeting wildly as she typed and searched through her computer. He didn’t actually know if Marcus had him down as a family member, so this was a big gamble, but he felt it in his bones, because he had Marcus listed as one of his.

Finally, she looked up from her computer. “Yup, you’re right here.” Kuzy’s heart swelled. He knew it. The nurse told them the room number, and Kuzy thanked her profusely. He grabbed Nicky by the arm and headed off in the direction of Marcus’s room.

“How’d you know Marcus had you as a family member?” Nicky asked as they walked down the halls.

“I didn’t,” Kuzy answered.

Nicky grumbled something about wondering if Marcus also had  _ him _ down as a family member, but he didn’t press the issue further, and they continued the rest of their walk in silence. Kuzy’s heart beat louder with every step he took, and each second ticked by faster than the last. All he could hear was thumping in his ears, and his vision started to tunnel. He needed to see him. He had to know that he was okay.

Within moments, they were at the door. Time crashed and slowed down to a standstill, but his heart still beat loudly and rapidly. Marcus was right behind that door. He hadn’t seen him in weeks, and their reunion would happen with Marcus in a hospital bed. This wasn’t the way he had envisioned it. What if Marcus was knocked out and couldn’t talk? Or what if his body was just so horribly broken? Kuzy couldn’t bear to see him hurt like that, he would break. His entire body yearned to burst through that door, but he stayed glued to the spot. He was absolutely terrified.

But he needed to be the strong one. He had to go in there and give Marcus all the support he needed.

Nicky placed a hand on Kuzy’s shoulder. “Kuz? You okay?”

Kuzy swallowed. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He turned toward Nicky. “You ready to go in?”

“Actually, I’m going to hang back here in the hallway for a little bit,” Nicky said.

Kuzy furrowed his eyebrows. “What? Why?”

“Because I think you need to see him alone first. Have a moment between yourselves.”

He felt his eyes start to well up, and he rapidly blinked back tears. “Thank you,” he breathed. “You’ve done so much for me.”

“You’re family, Kuz,” Nicky said. “I know you would do the same for me.”

“Well, if Ovi ever gets himself hurt in a partying incident, I will go with you to the hospital, you have my word.”

Nicky turned red. “Get in there. I’ll be right out here.”

Kuzy grinned. “Okay.” He turned around to face the door, the last barrier in his path. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and walked through the door.

The room was dark with only the emergency lights on. In the corner, someone who had to be a representative of the Bruins sat quietly scrolling through his phone. And in the middle of the room, lying in the hospital bed, was Marcus. His light, his everything. He was sound asleep, his chest rhythmically rising and falling. Aside from a couple of tubes strapped to him, he didn’t look any worse for the wear. Kuzy breathed a huge sigh of relief. It could have been so much worse.

Slowly and silently, Kuzy pulled a chair up to the side of Marcus’s bed. He looked so peaceful while he was asleep. Like all of the troubles and hardships he had gone through the past few years were miles away. Kuzy hadn’t seen his face look this peaceful in a long time. He wanted to just watch him sleep forever. It felt cruel to wake him up, but he had to talk to him. He had to hear his voice.

He took Marcus’s hand, brought it to his lips and kissed it, softly. Then, he began to gently caress Marcus’s face with his fingertips, running them down his jawline and brushing his hair to the side. “Hey, Jojo,” he said. “Can you wake up? Please, it’s me.”

After a few seconds, Marcus’s eyes began to flutter open. The sleep slowly left him, and he looked around, registering the fact that he was awake. As he came to his senses, he finally noticed that someone was holding his hand, and he looked at Kuzy, his eyes widening. “Kuz?” His voice came out groggy. 

Kuzy felt a surge of warmth just hearing him speak. His face split into a smile. “Hi, Jojo.”

The cogs in Marcus’s brain started to whirl. “Wha...how...why…” He couldn’t seem to settle on a question, so he simply asked, “You’re here?”

“Of course I am,” Kuzy said, kissing Marcus’s hand once more. “You think I’m not gonna drop everything once I hear what happened? What kind of partner would that make me?”

“I just...I can’t believe it’s really you. I thought I was dreaming.”

“Nice to know you dream about me.” Kuzy leaned in closer. “I dream about you, too. Almost every night. And they’re always sweet dreams.”

Marcus blushed. “You didn’t have to come. That’s a long way to go just for me.”

Kuzy let out a laugh. “You idiot, I wasn’t leaving you here all alone. Nothing was gonna stop me from getting here to be with you.”

He leaned over and kissed him softly, knowing he had to be incredibly gentle in this situation. It certainly wasn’t how he imagined their reunion kiss; he wanted to wrap his arms around Marcus’s back, cradle his head in his hands, run his fingers through his hair, and lay him down onto a couch, but this was perfect. It felt so right to kiss him again, he didn’t know how he’d gone so long without it, or how he’d wait until the next one. All he could do was focus on now.

He lifted his head up, and suddenly he became very aware of the Bruins rep in the other corner, who had very clearly seen and heard everything and was now making a swift and quiet escape out of the room. Kuzy sat back down properly into the chair, holding Marcus’s hand with both of his.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time,” Kuzy said with a wink.

“Me too.” Marcus blushed. “It is really good to see you. I’m really glad you’re here. I already feel better.”

Kuzy’s heart beat just a little bit faster. “It’s good to see you too, Jojo. I worried so much. I’m just so happy to be talking with you.”

“It means a lot to me that you’re here. It couldn’t have been easy to get here, just to see me.”

“I would walk through a snowstorm or fire to get to you, Jojo, and it wouldn’t feel like trouble at all. You’re worth every second.”

Tears welled up at the corner of Marcus’s eye, but unlike Kuzy, he let them fall. Kuzy wiped them away with his thumb. “I will never understand how I got lucky enough to get stuck with you, you persistent idiot,” Marcus said.

“Because I’m your center. You’re stuck with me for good.”

“Like I said, persistent.”

Smiling, Kuzy kissed him one more time. “Stuck” was not the right word for them. “Magnetic” was probably more accurate. No matter how many times they were forced apart, Kuzy would keep coming back, again and again and again. And he knew Marcus would do just the same.

They didn’t speak for a moment, the beeping of monitors and buzzing of fluorescent lights filling their silence until Marcus asked him a question. “How  _ did  _ you get here?”

“Hopped on a train, as quickly as I could get one.”

“How long did it take you?”

“Maybe four or five hours? I was all over the place, it was hard to keep track.”

“That long? Jeez. How’d you manage to get here yourself without the team knowing?”

“Well…”

At that moment, the door opened and Nicky popped his head in the room. Had he been listening at the door? “...Hey Jojo,” he said to a very surprised Marcus. “Just checking in. Sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt your moment. I’m glad to see you look okay. I’ll be out here.” He slunk back outside.

“Nicke’s here?” Marcus asked. “Why didn’t you tell me Nicke was here with you?”

Kuzy shrugged. “Because I’m selfish. I just wanted you all to myself for a little bit.”

Marcus took Kuzy’s hand. “Well...I guess I can’t complain about that,” he conceded. Kuzy felt his heart jump. “But I do want to talk to him.”

“Yeah, of course. I’ll tell him to come in in a little bit.” He waited a beat, then bit his lip. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“What exactly happened to you?”

Marcus’s eyes looked away, and Kuzy’s heart sped up, and not in a good way this time. Marcus couldn’t even look him in the eye, this definitely couldn’t be good. Kuzy’s worry ballooned with every passing second, and he feared the absolute worst.

Marcus exhaled, slow and measured. “The doctors say it’s a lung contusion.”

Kuzy’s heart dropped into his stomach. “ _ What?!  _ Your  _ lung _ ? Holy shit, are you breathing okay? Should you even be talking to me right now? Oh shit oh fuck I—”

“Kuz, Kuz, Kuz calm down,” Marcus interrupted his panic, squeezing his hand tight. “It sounds a lot worse than it is, I swear. I’m okay. I promise.”

They locked eyes, and Kuzy took a few deep breaths, his heartbeat slowing down to a semi-regular pace. “Okay. Sorry, I just worry so much. It doesn’t  _ sound _ good.”

“I was hoping you wouldn’t ask. The name of it makes it sound horrible. I didn’t want you to get all worried about me.”

“Then how bad is it?”

Marcus scrunched up his face, trying to put together an explanation. “How exactly did the doctor put it...You know how you got that bruise on your arm after you thought bodychecking in bed would be a fun idea?”

Kuzy remembered that night fondly, though the memory did make his arm throb. “Yeah.”

“That’s all it is. A bruise.”

“On your  _ lung _ .”

Marcus winced. “Well, yeah, that part isn’t the  _ best _ . But nothing’s broken, nothing’s cut or torn. My chest just hurts.”

“So...you’re gonna be okay?”

Marcus grinned. “Like I told you, I’ll be okay.”

Kuzy felt a wave of relief slide over him. “Good. I...didn’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”

Marcus looked at him fondly and gave his hand another squeeze. “Then tell these dickheads to stop hitting me on the ice.”

“You just gotta punch someone, Jojo. Did Tom ever teach you how to fight?”

“Uh, no.”

Kuzy cursed under his breath. “Dammit, Tom, I ask you to do  _ one _ thing.”

Marcus laughed and pulled Kuzy slightly closer to him. “Kuz, you know I’m not gonna do that even if he did teach me.”

“I know,” he whispered, inching closer. “Mr. Discipline himself would never  _ dream _ of purposely setting foot in the penalty box.”

“Says the man who’s much too familiar with the place.”

“They call it the  _ sin bin _ for a reason, Jojo,” he said, the corners of his mouth curling into a smirk.

Marcus smirked right back. “You’ve always been naughty, haven’t you.”

“You know I have.”

He bridged the small space between them, awkward angle and all, and kissed him again, this time deeper than the last. He stuck his tongue into his mouth, and after a second he felt Marcus do the same. A hunger awoke in his gut, and he pushed further, ready to just let his instincts take over. He let a moan escape him. It was only when Marcus groaned that he stopped himself and pulled away. They couldn’t do this right now, what was he thinking? He could hurt Marcus more. He couldn’t risk it.

Instead, he caressed the side of his face with his thumb, his touch lingering on the soft feel of his skin and the scratchiness of his beard. He remembered when he used to feel this everyday, and how happy it made him. Now it was a stolen day here or there, trying to make the most of every minute, painfully aware that they would have to leave soon. He ached for the old days.

“When are you getting out of here?” he ventured.

“They’re letting me out tomorrow morning,” Marcus answered.

“So soon?”

“Yeah. I just have to take it easy. And I won’t be able to get back on the ice for a couple weeks.”

“A few weeks?”

“Yeah, it sucks.”

“You’ll be able to play again this year. Jojo, it could be worse. It could be so much worse.”

“I know. Guess I’m just lucky.”

“So am I.” He took Marcus’s hand and held it to his chest. “I love you, Jojo. Don’t ever forget it.”

“I love you too, Kuz. And don’t  _ you _ ever forget it, either.”

Kuzy smiled. “I would never.” He laid a kiss to Marcus’s forehead. “Do you want me to go get Nicky now? We’ve kept him waiting a long time.”

“Please. It’s been way too long since I’ve seen him.”

Kuzy got up and crossed the room to open the door. On the other side he found Nicky dozing off in a chair, arms crossed over his chest. Kuzy lightly shook one of Nicky’s shoulders until he stirred. “Come on. Jojo wants to see you.”

Nicky followed Kuzy in, his eyes turning mischievous when he locked gazes with Marcus.

“Hey there, Jojo,” he greeted. “You finally ended up here, huh? I really thought Burky would get himself arrested before this day occurred. I guess I owe him money. I think you do, too.”

Marcus rolled his eyes. “It’s good to see you too, Nicke.”

Nicky burst out a shit-eating grin. “You too, Jojo. How are you holding up?”

“Well, I have a contused lung — it’s fine I promise — and I was sleeping off the trauma and all the drugs the doctors gave me when  _ this _ idiot,” he jerked a thumb at Kuzy, “woke me up in the middle of the night. So I’m a little tired, I guess.”

“Don’t pretend that waking up to this beautiful face wasn’t the highlight of your week,” Kuzy spoke up, blowing a kiss in Marcus’s direction as he returned to his spot at his bedside. 

Nicky made a face. “Gross. I do not miss that in the locker room.”

“He’s one to talk,” Kuzy muttered under his breath. Marcus stifled a giggle.

“What was that?”

“Nothing!”

Marcus giggled again. 

Nicky glared at Kuzy and shook his head, then turned his attention back to Marcus. “Seriously, Jojo, you okay?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine,” he assured. “But it is nice to see you guys. I’m really touched. And honestly, Nicke, I’m a lot more surprised to see you here than I am him.”

“Well, someone had to accompany this fucking wreck up to Boston.”

Marcus raised his eyebrow and looked at Kuzy. “Wreck?”

“I told you I was all over the place,” Kuzy defended.

“Oh, that does not nearly come close to describing it,” Nicky said. “He was in complete panic. Couldn’t talk straight, couldn’t walk straight. He almost throttled Carly.”

Marcus snorted. “He did not.”

Kuzy’s face flushed red. “I need to apologize to Carly later. Not his fault he didn’t know what hospital.”

“Anyway, I had to help Kuz get here. He wasn’t going to let anything stop him, and I had to make sure he got on the right train. And, you know, I worried about you too, Jojo. We’re family.”

Marcus took Nicky’s hand and squeezed it. “Always.” He turned to look at Kuzy. “You lost your shit? You don’t lose your shit at hardly anything.”

Kuzy, still red, just shrugged his shoulders. “If you’re gonna lose your shit, lose it over the thing that’s most important to you.”

Marcus kissed Kuzy’s hand. “Clearly I need to find a time to lose my own shit to pay back the sentiment.”

“You lose your shit even less than I do.”

“Then you’ll know it’s important, and that I mean it.”

“Does that mean if I purposely break my own leg you’ll come running after me?”

“Don’t be an idiot, Kuz.”

It had been a long time since Kuzy had felt this happy, since his insides had been this filled with warmth. He wanted to squeeze him and put his face between his hands and endlessly kiss that face that got all scrunched up when he was angry. He wanted to do that and never stop.

Nicky coughed, popping the bubble of romantic tension around Kuzy and Marcus. “I regret coming into this room.”

Marcus laughed. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, we’ll behave. Let’s just talk for awhile, for however long you guys are staying.”

Kuzy, with a sudden feeling of dread, looked at Nicky. “How long  _ can _ we stay?”

“We have to be gone by seven-thirty, at the very latest. We can’t push our luck any further than that.”

There it was, a deadline again. The worst part of this fucking awful situation. He hated that he had to put a timer on himself. Any moment they had together was bittersweet because of the always-looming departure. But there was nothing he could do to change that.

Kuzy exhaled. “Then let’s make the most of the few hours we have.”

And for those few hours, it was almost like old times. The three of them laughing and catching up and joking about teammates during the dark hours of the morning when the rest of the world was asleep. It was like they were in their own little bubble, away from everything else. Kuzy wanted to stay there forever. But much too soon, those hours ticked away, and the world woke up.

Nicky checked his watch. “Kuzy, we have to leave now,” he said gently, getting up out of his chair.

“Really? Do we have to?” Kuzy asked, refusing to look at him.

“We have to catch the next train. We can miss practice, but we  _ cannot  _ miss the game.”

Kuzy said nothing, and remained motionless.

Nicky sighed, walking over to him and putting a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I don’t like it either. But we don’t have a choice.” Nicky gave his shoulder a squeeze. “Come on.” He leaned over the bed and gave Marcus an awkward, barely-a-hug hug. “Bye, Jojo. It was really good to see you, we miss you. Heal up soon.”

“I’ll do my best,” Marcus said. “And tell Andre I miss him, too.”

“I will. And I’ll tell you how much he cries about it.” Nicky made a motion to head for the door, then looked back at Kuzy. “Kuz?”

Still, he refused to look at him. “Can you just...give us a moment? Alone? I’ll be out there in just a minute, I promise.”

Nicky took a few seconds to consider. “Alright. But please be quick.” He stepped out the door, leaving the two of them alone.

Kuzy looked Marcus in those beautiful brown eyes, and he could feel that tight, choked-up feeling begin to take hold of his throat. The tears were coming, but he didn’t care. Let it happen.

“Jojo...I don’t want to go,” he said, squeezing his hand tight.

“I don’t want you to go, either.”

“Then why don’t I just stay? I don’t need to get on that fucking train. I’ll just stay with you in your place in Boston. I’ll get a hobby, and we can have dinner together every night and I —”

“Kuz.” Marcus cut him off. “You know that’s not going to happen.”

His chest started to constrict. “Can’t we just try something? Please? I don’t need to play tonight. What’s one hockey game in the grand scheme of life?” A single tear broke through and trickled down his face. “Please.”

Marcus bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut. He shook his head. “No.” His voice was barely audible. “We can’t. You know we can’t.”

He felt like he’d been punched in the gut. His voice cracked. “I don’t want to leave you again.”

The tears were flowing down his cheeks now, and a few droplets landed with a splat on their hands. Kuzy swallowed and took a shuddering breath. “When are we going to see each other again?” he whispered.

“Whenever we’re both eliminated from the playoffs,” Marcus whispered back. “Could be late April, might not be until June.”

Kuzy thought about the ring that was sitting on his mantle at home, and about the fact that Marcus didn’t have one of his own to match. He remembered what all of last summer had felt like, and he wanted, more than almost anything, for Marcus to have that same thing. Even if it meant that they couldn’t be together for another month and a half. That pain would be worth it.

“Well, Jojo,” he said through a mouth that felt heavy as lead, “I hope, for your sake, you’re still in Boston in June.”

Marcus knew all the implications of what this meant, and Kuzy could see his eyes getting watery, as well.

“I love you, Kuz.”

“I love you too.”

For one last time, he kissed him. He knew to savor this one, as it would be months before he would get the chance to do it again. They parted, and Kuzy wiped away some of their combined tears that had pooled on Marcus’s face.

“Goodbye, Jojo. I’ll come back to you soon.” 

Kuzy forced himself to get up and carry himself out the door. And with that, he was gone.

He tried to wipe at his face and nose out in the hallway, to no avail. His chest was tight, and his heart ached. He wanted to just crumple into a ball. But he made himself walk towards the exit, Nicky by his side.

Nicky took his hand as they walked. “I’m sorry.” He gave it a squeeze. “Can you keep it together until we get to the train?”

Kuzy nodded.

“Good. You don’t have to act like a human person at all, I’ll handle everything. Just...stay upright. You can pass out on the train.”

He nodded once more. “Thanks, Nicky.”

“That’s what I’m here for.” He glanced at Kuzy, then changed his tone to one much lighter. “You know,” he began, in a way that made Kuzy’s suspicions perk up, “when you first went in there alone, I heard a lot of noises.” He looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. “Did you really try to fuck a guy in a hospital bed?”

“ _ No _ ,” Kuzy answered, much too quickly. “Shut the fuck up.”

Nicky chuckled to himself, and Kuzy let his lip crack an upward turn. Nicky’s attempt at lightening his mood worked, if only for a little bit.

On the train ride home, Kuzy didn’t break down. Instead, he curled up and tried not to feel anything. He didn’t want to feel anything right now. He tried to push it away and just go numb. If he let himself feel it, he would be bringing on the full force of that pain. His heart had been ripped out of his chest and bodychecked into the ice at TD Garden, and he wasn’t even allowed to be with it. That was too much for him to deal with right now.

Nicky, to his credit, was silent for almost the entire ride. Kuzy needed that, and he was incredibly grateful for it. The only time Nicky spoke was when he got a text about halfway through the ride.

“Hey,” he said, looking over at Kuzy. Kuzy looked back, but didn’t say anything. “Tom said that Coach realized we aren’t at morning skate. They’re gonna tell the media we’re having ‘maintenance days,’ but Coach is pretty pissed. So just be ready for that. And the guys are gonna want to hear about our ‘adventure,’ as Tom puts it. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of all the talking if you don’t want to.”

Kuzy nodded and curled right back up again. His mind was worlds away from hockey and practice. Right now in his mind, he was tucked into bed, his arms wrapped around Marcus’s chest, with Marcus’s lips kissing his neck. Time didn’t exist, and they would never have to leave that bed, or each other.

He sighed. He didn’t know when it would happen, or even for how long. But he’d come back to him. Like always.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: despite the sentiments expressed in this fic, I still fucking hate the goddam bruins
> 
> You can find me on tumblr @daddyoshie


End file.
